Comic Book Review: Brightest Day #7

Brightest Day promised answers this week, answers that are supposed to give us an answer to a very important question. The question is simple: Why were the twelve resurrected by the White Light? The answer was pretty anti-climatic since it was held for so long, so be warned that it's a little disappointing. (At least to me)


After Boston, Dove, and Hawk meet for a burger, the ring takes the three to Silver City, New Mexico, the site of the White Lantern. The White Lantern now intends to reveal its grand plan, which seems to revolve around Boston Brand. Boston and Hawk are zapped by the White Light, their costumes being transformed into an all white version. The Light begins to speak to them now, revealing itself to be the White Entity. The surprise here is that the White Entity is dying and looking for a replacement, a new champion to guard, watch, and protect the Universe.

The book now jumps between the main characters here, as all of them receive a vision from the White Light showing them a future of sorts. Quick recap of a couple characters visions.

Martian Manhunter: His vision shows him setting fire to a forest, presumably the Star City forest that the White Light created.

Firestorm: Black Lantern Firestorm is shown holding a black lantern, and the White Lantern instructs Jason and Ronnie to come together and stop the evil lantern.

Hawkman: His costume is transformed into white version, which look pretty lame, almost like something THe Village People wore. The White Light tells him to "Stop the Queen."

Shiera: She sees Hawkman being murdered by Hath-Set. The Light warns her that if that future comes true, there will not be another resurrection for either her, or Hawkman.

Aquaman sees the new Aqualad, and is told to find him first before "they" do. No idea who "they" are though.

The next scene is a two-page spread showing the vision of the remaining resurrected characters. Digger Harkness sees himself murdering Dove as the Light tells him to throw the boomerang. Jade sees her brother Obsidian, with the Light telling her to balance out the darkness. Osiris is told to free his sister Isis. Max Lord is instructed to save the world from Magog, because he will lead the world into war. Eobard Thawne's mission is complete, his being to release Barry Allen from the Speed Force. And most puzzling, Hank Hall is told to stop the boomerang that will kill Dove. Finally, Boston is told to find to replacement protector of the White Light.

It seems strange that the White Light would give them missions that contradict each other, and I get the feeling that it isn't at all what it says to be. And while I did find the reveal a little disappointing, the writing team did do a great job of setting up the next waves of stories. So as always, more answers bring more questions, and more mysteries. But it seems like Brightest Day will start to tie in very well with the books that carry its banner, so hopefully the story will progress quicker this next time around.

Comic Book Review: The Flash #3

Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul continue the Flash run this week, pressing forward that has been comics at it's finest. Let's recap what we know real quick.

Barry Allen has been accused of murder,a murder that takes place in the future. Bizarre, I know. Even more bizarre are his accusers: The Renegades. A police squad from the future that mimic the looks and powers of The Rogues from the present. All of this while just trying to return to work, and get back settled in with his life.

This issue picks up in Iron Heights Penitentiary, where Digger Harkness is plotting his escape. He's lured all the guards into his cell, planning on taking them all out at one time. Problem is though, he doesn't have any weapons, so his attempt just lands him scrambling on the ground, surrounded by five guards and a doctor. When it seems like he's not going any where, but he discovers a hidden power: An ability to summon black lantern boomerangs, unlimited weapons.

In Central City, Barry leaves the police department crime lab, after being questioned when his DNA appears on the Mirror Monarch body. The lab director takes the results as sloppy scene work, so Barry gets his scolding, and heads out to see Iris.

This is where Johns really shows his grasp on the character, his reaction to all the mess he's in. Barry is not concerned with his life, instead his focus is on a case on the office, where a boy may be accused of a crime he didn't forget. Of course life won't let him forget about his troubles, as The Renegades show up ready to take him into custody.

They insist that Barry will murder the Mirror Monarch in eighty-four days, and that the have evidence that will convince him so. The Renegades seem to imply that Barry commits a murder in reaction to Iris being killed, but that's just my theory.

With a combination of freeze rays and glue guns, Barry is stuck and looking like he's headed back to the future with The Renegades. But suddenly, a boomerang flies out from behind The Renegades, taking them down and letting Barry Allen loose. Harkness approaches Barry, asking menacingly about what happened after his death.

So somehow, in someway, all of this is connected to Flashpoint. And all we know about Flashpoint is in the two page preview we got at the end of The Flash #1. But what about what happened in this issue? Are The Renegades really who they say they are? Is something going to happen to Iris, leading Barry on a quest across time to erase it from history? Is that Flashpoint? Am I asking way to many questions? Yes.

Fun book though, with great story by Johns, and fantastic art by Manapul, who seems to get better and better with each issue. While The Flash may not be the most mysterious book on the self, I'm positive that Johns will unveil to yes a few tricks that will propel this book to the top of any reading pile. Check back next month.

Comic Book Review: Brightest Day #4

Every time I review this book, I feel like I write exactly the same thing. The story doesn't progress far enough, it's very mysterious, I like some of the art, all probably things you've seen multiple times on my reviews of the other issues. I'm sorry to say that you're in for another similar review, as the same complaints remain valid in my mind. Spoilers:

Deep in the Peruvian Jungle, The Hawks stare in bewilderment at the portal in front of them, a portal that is powered by their dead carcasses. After some contemplation of their next step, The Hawks decide to enter the portal, which leads to vivid visions of all their previous lives. The scene is quite shocking for them, but they are able to pass though, and exit into another strange scene: Large floating rock masses, each with what appears to be villages established on top.

In Georgetown, Boston Brand is teleported into the room of a sleeping Dawn Granger. She wakes up, attacks him, and changes into Dove, but he begins to explain the unique situations that the white ring put him in, so she backs off. (I found it interesting that she can see him, unlike all the other people he's encountered). As Dawn backs off, another large bird attacks, Hawk, the resurrected hero who seems to suffer from a permanent state of roid-rage. Held in the clutches of a very Angry Hawk, Boston once again goes though his white ring speech, explaining everything that's happened since he resurrected that small bird in issue #1. Though whole resurrection thing catches Hawk's eye, and he tells Boston that he needs something done...

In Silver City, New Mexico, we meet the young man who will be the new Aqualad. His name is Jackson, and he's walking through the arid New Mexico heat with his girlfriend Maria. She wants to go swimming, but he doesn't as he's never learned to swim. She persist, and is about to jump off a boulder, into where a body of water once was. Jackson grabs her before she can fall to her death, as there's nothing but dried out fish where the water once was.

In the sea within the Bermuda Triangle, as rescue ship is searching for a wrecked airplane. They see two people strapped into an airplane seat, looking very dried out, almost even like zombies. Suddenly, something jumps out the water, an Atlantean woman, and a group of soldiers who she orders to attack the ship crew.

In Pittsburgh, Ronnie Raymond is passed out in bed, after exerting all his energy at beer-pong. He's laying there, when he hears a voice, so he turns around, to see Gehenna completely made of salt. She grabs him by the throat, and demands he say her name. As another student walks in the room, Gehenna disperses into a cloud of salt, leaving it all around the room. the bottom panel on the page shows Jason, asleep at his desk, with what appears to be the Firestorm Matrix pulsing over his head.

Back with Boston Brand, Hank Hall reveals his requests: For Boston to use his White Ring to resurrect Donald Hall, the original Dove.

I must say that I'm excited about this new Aqualad, and hopefully he'll emerge as a legitimately entertaining character, and not another lame cliche. I really hope things pick up in the next few weeks though, as the whole mysterious mysteries things is getting old. Check back in two weeks, where I may just copy and paste this article and give it a new title.

Comic Book Review: Brightest Day #3

Brightest Day continues to chug along this week, in the fourth installment (issue number three) of this universe spanning story. Summery:

Right after being teleported to the Anti-Matter Universe, Boston Brand confronts one of the most powerful DCU villains, The Anti-Monitor himself. At that very moment, the white ring decides to very inconveniently withdraw whatever veil was concealing Boston, making him visible to the Anti-Monitor. The Anti-Monitor is not happy at being disturbed, and is about to attack, when suddenly, the ring tells Boston to fight. So Boston thrusts out his ring bearing fist, and a white collage of the resurrected heroes attacks the Anti-Monitor, hurting him. Boston thinks he's finally realized his purpose: To gather the resurrected heroes, and together defeat the Anti-Monitor. The ring tells him NO, and as he listens, the Anti-Monitor stands up, and prepares to attack himself, but Boston, with newfound confidence in the ring, readies a counter. The ring fails him though, and the Anti-Monitor sends him flying into dark nothingness. With the ring letting him fall, Boston promises to be more careful, and the ring replies OK, sending a white safety net to Boston's rescue.

In Pittsburgh, Ronnie Raymond wakes up inside the University hospital, confused, with Professor Stein sitting by his bed. Stein goes on to explain the lab exploded after Ray Palmer successfully separated the Firestorm Matrix, landing both members of Firestorm in the hospital. The Professor warns that Ronnie and Jason must be separated from no one, and in Jason's room, he's getting a similar speech from his father. Jason's father is telling his son that he needs to return home to Detroit together, but Jason refuses to go, saying that he must finish his studies. His father demands that he return home now, and Jason replies with a angry comment regarding the death of his mother. Furious, his father exits the room, telling his son to do whatever he wants. Ronnie is now getting his things together to leave, and as he does, he begins to question why Ray and Stein have not been giving details, as they warn about the danger of being Firestorm, yet they don't provide any reasons. Ronnie, now fully dressed, exits the door, and he begins to angrily rant about the treatment he's been receiving from Jason, all caused by the actions of Black Lantern Firestorm. Ronnie says that he got another chance, and he's not going to waste it, so he walks out the door, and sees Jason crying on his hospital bed. Ronnie walks outside mumbling to himself: "You Should've Told Them..." As the words linger, a scene of Black Lantern Firestorm killing Jason's girlfriend flashes in his mind, hinting that Ronnie was either in control, or that he kept all the memories. As tears form in his eyes, Jason's dad drives by, yelling at him to stay away from his son.

Aquaman and Mera are standing in the shallow depths of the North Atlantic, as Arthur is attempting to use his powers properly. When Arthur sends out the telepathic signal, a zombie Shamu whale appears, and grabs Aquaman to violently drag him under the sea. Arthur quickly defeats the whale, and begins to contemplate why his powers have been acting so strange. As Mera follows him under water, she suggests that he return to Atlantis, so maybe the Atlantean scientists can run some tests. Arthur firmly declines, saying that he will not return to the people that abandoned him. Mera agrees, and tells him that the only home she needs is Arthur himself, so she smiles and goes in for a hug, masking the look of uncertainty on her face.

In Pearl River, New York, The Martian Manhunter is examining bodies of the family that was brutally murdered by their mother/hidden white martian. He looks into the bodies, that have had the skin pulled, leaving only the sinewy muscle, yet, he finds a lead: A hair of the family dog. J'onn locates the dog at a rescue shelter, and he begins to scan the mind of the canine, revealing the ugly scene of the Martian killing the family. Shocked by what he sees, J'onn is determined to fix the Martian problem, but he first sets off to leave the dog with the lonely, elderly daughter of Professor Erdel, only after wiping the traumatic Martian experience from the dog's mind.

A page here seems oddly out of place: A plane flying over the Bermuda Triangle is losing it's tower communications. In Silver City, New Mexico, the White Lantern begins to blink, and lets a flash of light explodes. Back in the Bermuda Triangle, the airplane is struck by a white streak of lightening, destroying it completely.

In the Peruvian Jungle, the Hawks are making their way towards Hath-Set, who is using their dead bodies for an unknown purpose. As the Hawks finally find the point where Hath-Set was, a portal is opened, a portal made from the bodies of the former Hawks...

What I previously liked about the book has now become somewhat of a hinderance in my opinion. It seems like the stories aren't progressing far enough each issue, leaving us with only a little for knowledge of the surrounding mystery. That being said, the story is still very intriguing, I just wish we could get a little more info every issue.

In a recent interview though, Geoff Johns promised that some characters purposes will become more clear in issue 7, so let's all hope that Brightest Day continues to entertain, and also for more zombie sea creatures, because those are just cool.

Comic Book Review: Brightest Day #2

The second issue of Brightest Day was released today, featuring a beautiful cover with ominous connotations for our recently resurrected Aquaman. But the cover is quite misleading, as the issue doesn't deal much with Aquaman but rather The Martian Manhunter. Spoilers:

Firestorm is still is Professor Stein's lab, they are very confused though, as Stein and Ray Palmer say they have bad news, yet they don't give any details. They are told not to move, and Ray Palmer jumps into their chamber, dressed in some kind of fire-proof suit. Ray's going to jump inside Firestorm to attempt to disable the Matrix bonding them together, though he doesn't reveal why. Firestorm suggest they try to split naturally, but Ray tells them no, saying it's too dangerous. So Ray dives into the insanely hot Firestorm, locates the Matrix and attempts to push the subatomic particles apart to disband it. But something goes wrong, as Firestorm begins to share the same thoughts, and then suddenly catches on fire, eventually exploding...

In Pearl River, New York, a mother is preparing dinner for her three children who are playing Rockband. As she finishes setting the table, something suddenly overtakes her and she begins to udder a strange phrase: "A-Alive... He's Alive.
She grabs a knife of her table, and begins to brutally murder her children, afterwards pulling off her skin to reveal a White Martian.

In Denver, J'onn J'onzz is visiting the casket of Saul Erdel, the scientist that brought him to Earth from Mars. He finds a picture inside the hands of the dead scientist, a picture of him and his daughter, the woman J'onn saw in his vision.

The Hawks are still tearing through the Peruvian Jungle, hot on the trial of whoever stoles the bones of their first bodies. They storm into a strange lair, filled with pictures of them from every life, pictures of them while just being civilians, and plaster masks, molded from the faces of their previous incarnations. They soon deduce that the owner of the lair is Hath-Set, their original murderer. Infuriated by his obsession with them, with his continuing to murder, Hawkman decides it's time to find him, and kill him.

Back in Denver, J'onn visits Erderl's now elderly daughter, whose name is Melissa. He takes the form of her dead father, and flies her into the sky as he tries to discover information into her past. Melissa is quite senile tough, she just believes it all to be a dream, so J'onn's ability to read minds come in handy here. She beings to narrate the memories of her past: After finding a Aztec tablet as a boy, Erdel became obsessed with the idea of aliens. After he had a daughter, he would feed her these ideas, and eventually when she got old enough, she helped with his experiments. Erdel's first attempt to transport a Martian to Earth went very wrong, as he bought White Martian to the world. The White Martian destroyed the lab, and ran out after almost killing the scientist and his daughter. But that bad experience didn't stop Erdel's endeavors, as he now became obsessed with bringing another Martian to defeat the monstrous one. Thus, that's how the Martian Manhunter came to Earth, but of course this story didn't end well either. Erdel died saving J'onn from a generator explosion that destroyed parts of the lab again, and knocked Melissa unconscious as well as scarring her forehead forever. Erdel's last words to J'onn were: "save us from my arrogance... my recklessness..."
After reliving the memory, J'onn very touchingly tucks Melissa into her bed, as she says goodnight to her father. J'onn promises to return visit her as her father again, and he then leaves.

In Dubai, Boston Brand is still following Aquaman and Mera, but he's getting frustrated that they can't hear him. The King and Queen of the ocean dive into the water, and dead fish rise to the surface, but before Boston could do anything, he's teleported away by the White ring. He thrown to a dark, unknown land, where he is falling very quickly. The ring saves him, and then to Boston's confusion, it tells him to FIGHT. "Fight who?" he asks.
The last page is Boston in front of the Anti-Monitor, and he stares in bewilderment as he ponders what the ring told him to do.

One thing I really like about the book, is the array of different artists. Instead of DC getting some nobody artist to draw the series as quickly as possible, they used some well known DCU artists to draw different stories in the book. I really wish we could have had more Aquaman here though, since his story seems to be the most mysterious and destructive. But with that said, the ring teleporting Boston to the Anti-Monitor Universe was a great reveal, and I look forward to the fighting it out.

Comic Book Review: Brightest Day #1

Last month, Brightest Day #0 set up the forward progress of the DCU. Today, we see where everything thing is heading, and the greater mystery begins to unfold.

Picking up right after Green Lantern #53, the white power battery is still set in the crater in Silver City, New Mexico. This is where Sinestro has brought Hal and Carol, to see if the Green Lantern can move the battery. The battery doesn't budge at Hal's attempt, and after seeing him fail, Carol brings up the story of the Sword and the Stone, noting that only the King, King Arthur, can remove the mighty sword from is stone sheath.

We are now brought to Boston Brand, the former Deadman, who reminds us that he no longer has powers, cannot been seen or heard while being left to the whims of the white ring. He is currently on a rusty ship in the middle of the ocean, and watches hopelessly as the child traffickers are about to abuse their crying prisoners. But the children don't get hurt, as Aquaman and Mera jump out to rescue the kids. They take out all the traffickers, with an impressive display of being bulletproof, and Mera's water-dragons. After beating out all the criminals, they realize that their is another boat with more traffickers on it, so Aquaman summons a unlikely creature to help out. With his call, an enormous octopus emerges from the water taking down the ship. But they realize something weird about the animal, it's dead. With another call, Arthur summons a zombie shark, and soon realizes that the animals are killing people instead of subduing them.

In Westport, Massachusetts, a butcher is slicing fish, while customers watch the news of Aqauman's return. One customer expresses his excitement for the return of the protector of the seas, and the sends the butcher in a blazing rage, using his knife to kill everyone in the room, and then running out the door.

In the Pittsburgh University lab, Firestorm in it's new combo os Ronnie and Jason, are arguing with each other, as the look for Professor Stein. After trading jabs at one another, the attempt to spilt into their regular forms, but it doesn't succeed and leaves them in great pain. After the failed split, Professor Stein speaks over a intercom from a room with Ray Palmer, where they reveal that can longer split, and that they have worse news...

On Mars, J'onn is moving the large block of ice he found underground, so he can melt it and create water to build back life on his home planet. As soon as the ice melts, a green stalk begins to sprout from the soil, and J'onn flies down to inspect it. He touches to little green plant, and immediately he holds his head as he becomes half black lantern. A vision appears in his head of his hands around the neck of Professor Erdel, the man who accidentally beamed J'onn to Earth. In the vision, he also notices a woman lying dead in the background. After returning to normal, he realizes that he was just a victim of a psychic attack coming from Earth, and sets off to the planet to find the girl in the vision he just had.

In the Peruvian Andes, the Hawks are being led by the Claw of Horus that was fused with Zamaron crystal. They now see the men in white snowsuits, who have the bones of the original Hawks incarnation, and chase them to a jet flying above. They break through the jet to take out the white snowsuit guys, and then discover the bones of their past selves, who perplexes them as they thought they were destroyed during Blackest Night. Before they can think about the discovery any further, a sneaky snowsuit buy send off a stun grenade of some sort, and with the Hawks distracted, he slips out with bones. As the Hawks rescue the unconscious guys with the falling jet, they realize that they're being targeted. The last panel of their story, is Hath-Set, who is in South America, holding their bones in the Peruvian Amazon.

The last pages are of the butcher we met earlier, as he watches his former shop explode, he walks into the ocean, only to emerge as Black Manta.

So with the second issue Blackest Night in the books, the mysteries kicks off, are there are many: The mystery of the white light, Aqauman's zombie issue's, Firestorm's splitting problems, J'onn's visions, and the Hawks bodies, it seems like there will be a lot to cover in twenty-weeks. While the issue was great, and the writing superb, a concern I have is the issue may have to many storylines for one issue. Even though the mystery deepened, we still didn't receive much progress on the stories themselves. Nonetheless, the book is sure to be entertaining to the end, and I look forward to discovering everyone's role is this new DCU.

Comic Book Review: Green Lantern #53

This months issue of Green Lantern was the first since Blackest Night ended, and the first since Brightest Day began last week. It's a issue that is setting the stage for things to come, and a prologue of sorts to the new Green Lantern ongoing, Emerald Warriors, and the upcoming Green Lantern arc, White Lanterns. So, let's recap.


This issue begins in Belle Reeve Prison, where Hector Hammond is being communicated with telepathically by an unknown being. Hector is jealous, sad even, because he tasted Hal Jordan's thought during Blackest Night, where Hal was once again a hero. The unknown being talking to Hector is revealed to be on the lost sector of the planet Ryut. We can't see their face, as it is covered by a raggedy cloak. They're wrapped in bandages, with green chains on it's ankles, and it's also note worthy that they being is quite short, and when it speaks, it's word balloons are yellow. It talks about the hurt the universe has endured with the Blackest Night, and that a new day, The Brightest Day, is upon them. It claims to have written the green lantern prophecy, and that it protected the universe before the guardians. As it enters a chamber, it says it will protect the universe again. The chamber contains seven large stones, each containing a lantern emblem. The most interesting thing in the chamber though, is that Parallax is chained to the stone holding the symbol of the Sinestro Corps.

Back in Coast City, Hal and Carol are having a drink, awkwardly having a conversation, while trying to avoid the one they know they should have. They quickly get bored, but Carol has an idea, and the next page, they're racing their jets, while trading jabs. Hal finally asks though, "Do you love me?" and Carol avoids answering by replying with questions about Hal's relationship with Cowgirl. Before the conversation can go any further, they notice a yellow object heading straight toward them. They split, but Hal's plane is demolished by an always cocky Sinestro. Hal and Carol are now in their Lantern forms, and begin to attack Sinestro, while pointing out that less then a day ago after Blackest Night, an intergalactic truce was agreed upon. Sinestro claims that the treaty still stands, and the reason he interrupted, was because he found the White Lantern, and the lantern is asking for Hal.

In Metropolis, Lex Luthor is examining the remains of a charred Black Lantern. He says after the Blackest Night, all the Black Lanterns burst into flames, leaving very few remains, and no rings, which is a shame because he wants one. Larfleeze barges into the lab with his new guardian and orange constructs, hungry with greed as always. Larfleeze wants to know what people on Earth want, because then he will can take it. Luthor replies "power" which Larfleeze already has. Luthor pauses, thinks, smiles, and then says "land." Larfleeze is now excited, "WHAT IS LAND? I WANT SOME."

In the Coast City cemetery, Saint Walker, Barry Allen, and other volunteers are burying bodies. After every grave, Saint Walker stops, and recites a eulogy prepared for every individual person.

On the planet Ysmault, Atrocitus is being recruited by an unknown individual who radiates green. The green person wants to fight against the guardians, and the Green Lantern Corps, all while preserving life. Atrocitus is contemplating the offer, we see the recruiters: Ganthet, and Guy Gardner. Guy is loving the idea, and says that if they all team up, he could no longer be friends with Hal, to which a smiling Ganthet replies "I Know."

The last panels are Hal flying, wondering out loud where the White Lantern came from.

It tells us to follow the adventures of Guy, in the Emerald Warriors, the adventures of Ganthet in the Green Lantern Corps, and of course Hal Jordan in Brightest Day.

This issue did a good job of closing off Blackest Night, while helping last week welcome us into the new are for all things Green Lantern. Johns of course, always has secrets up his sleeve, leaving us clues as to what's coming next in a fun, mysterious way. The only problem I have with Green Lantern is Doug Mahnke. Not saying that he's not a great artists, just that everything always looks very posed, and he puts way to much emphasis on everyones chin. Still, it was in all a great issue, and I'm looking forward to discovering the secrets behind the White Light.

Comic Book Review: Brightest Day #0

Brightest Day is the sequel to the maxi series Blackest Night, picking up the story of the twelve resurrected ones by the white light. It's was a giant sized issue, so there's plenty to cover.

The issue begins with a newly resurrected Boston Brand, standing over his grave with a sledge hammer. He begins to describe himself, about how he didn't really care about life until he lost his. After he's done destroying his tombstone, he notices a little bird, that has died after falling from it's nest. He picks the bird up, the the white ring on his finger activates: LIVE! The bird is now alive, and as Boston puts t back into the nest, the ring does something strange. HELP ME, it asks, and then teleports Brand away.

Mera is shown waking up in bed, inside a lighthouse, and as she gets dressed, she walks outside to see her husband, Arthur Curry, staring into the ocean. He begins to lament about why he is back, but Mera trying to change the subject jumps into the water. She asks for him to join her, but Aquaman declines, and as he says that he has a bad feeling, we see a reflection of his black lantern counterpart in the water. Boston Brand is shown watching them from behind some rocks, wondering why the ring brought him there. Just as he's about to speak, the ring once again teleports him away.

He appears in Iron Heights Penitentiary, outside the cell of the Reverse Flash. Barry Allen rushes in, and knocks on the cell of Digger Harkness, the resurrected Captain Boomerang. Barry vibrates himself into the cell, and warns Digger that he knows what kind of person he is, and that he should just quit so that Barry doesn't have to run a catch him like they always do. But Digger has a unexpected response, that he doesn't know why he, and not his son, or others were brought back, but he's not gonna to just sit around contemplating it all day. Barry asks is that's a threat, to which Digger replies no, it's a flash fact.

We now go to St, Rock, Louisiana, to the Stonechat Museum where the Hawks are. Hawkman is quizzing Shiera, showing her artifacts while she tells him what life that is from. Boston Brand appears in the room, as the Hawks begin to get frisky, which is when Brand realizes that he is invisible to the people around him. Hawkman begins to bum about how he doesn't know which day will be his last with Sheira, but Hawkgirl replies how that's an even stronger reason to live happily in the present. The scene with the Hawks is interwoven with a group of men in white snowsuits, who are in South America, searching the Peruvian Andes Mountains for something. Back in the meseum, a shard given to Shiera by a Star Sapphire, begins to shoot a beam at the Claw of Horus. The Claw points up, and as Hawkman puts it on, the fly out at the direction of the claw. Back in the mountains, it is revealed what he men were searching for and have located, the original bones of Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

In New York, Maxwell Lord has set up shop in the abandoned JLI embassy. He is giving himself plasma injections, which is used to dilute blood to prevent bleeding out. He goes to attempt his biggest push yet, trying to achieve an unknown goal, while noting that it will make or break him. He begins, and starts to bleed profusely from his eyes, nose, and even mouth, before finally collapsing. This is when Boston appears, and as he watches Max lay on the floor, he say that Max is always dangerous, because he always has a plan.

Boston now shifts to Mars, where the Martian Manhunter is using to heat vision to do what likes like mining. Hal and Guy visit, bringing gifts: a large basket of chocos (the martian's favorite cookie) , and of course milk. J'onn begins to take the lanterns on a tour of Mars, and the Martian reveals that he found a deep aquifer which he plans to use to make Mars live again.

On Oa, Jade is reluctantly being a guinea pig for Natu, having all sorts of test ran on her. Jade confronts Natu, saying that she knows the reason she been held for day there, is that Natu is worried about Jade getting back In Kyle. (I just read that line out loud, and it sounded like something from Gossip Girl. Sorry about that) Kyle appears, and begins to comfort Jade, about all that she did while she was a black lantern, and about how there are a group of people who couldn't be happier now that she's back. Natu watches them, and is clearly worried about the spark Jade Kyle still have, but Kyle eventually flies off with Natu. As they do, Jade notices a white lantern emblem in front of her, and then it quickly disappears, making Jade wonder if she's seeing things.

In New York again, Ray Palmer and Professor Stein watch Jason Rusch cry on the couch. They are at a wake for Gehenna Hewitt, the recently killed girlfriend of Jason. Ray and Stein discuss how the two halves of Firestorm have both been wrecks since Blackest Night, when Ronnie Raymond walks in the door. Ronnie walks over to Jason, trying to say something comforting, but really just ends up pissing Jason off. Jason goes in for a punch, but before he can connect, they merge, becoming Firestorm in the small room, while arguing within each other. Boston watches from that back, saying that for now they will function as Firestorm, at least until on them kills the other.

Nxt we're in Kahndaq, where the resurrected Osiris is being warmly greeted by his people. He has the stone figures of Black Adam and Iris in front of the people, and he is cheered as he grabs them, flies off, and tell the nation that he will be back with his family, bringing in a "Golden Age" of prosperity and power.

The last two are Hawk and Dove in Arlington, Virginia, out on a stakeout, trying to bust arms dealers. Dove is doing surveillance of sorts, but Hank is not so patient, busting into the van occupied by the arms traffickers. He takes them down, violently, leaving the van in flames. Dove tries to explain that he shouldn't attack like that, leaving such a huge violent scene, but Hank disagrees, saying that is the first of his preemptive strikes. Boston again watches in the shadows, noting how violent and reckless Hank is, before being teleported to his final destination.

He is in the rubble of Star City, and begins to recap the horror that took place in the destruction. The ring once again speaks, HELP ME. It then says HELP THEM, and Boston is painfully shown again the twelve he visited. The trees around him begin to shake, and the rubble is lifting, before we finally see that Star City is healed, completely fixe, with a star shaped forest in the center. Boston tries to converse with the ring asking what it wants as he tries to pull it off. Brand is perplexed as to why he's the only one with a white ring, and becomes even more so when the ring replies: HELP ME LIVE.

The epilogue takes place in Silver City, New Mexico, where the white lantern is in a crater in the middle of a road. Two men begin to climb inside, but stop when they notice something above. Sinestro is hovering high, saying "Ah, there you are."

The issue was a great setup for the Brightest Day saga, with Johns and Tomasi writing a very well crafter plot. I just hope they keep the story intriguing, instead of having a these heroes running everywhere wondering why they are back. Either way, Brightest Day will be the center of the DCU for a while, so we're gonna have to keep up.

Comic Book Review: Blackest Night #8

The end of Blackest Night is here, and so much happens in this oversized issue. So here we go picking up from Green Lantern #52.

The issue begins with Hal admitting to being afraid of one thing; getting close to people. He knows that eventually, everyone will die, and he doesn't want that pain.

It quickly cuts to Sinestro going one-on-one with Nekron. Sinestro, claiming that he cannot be killed, calls off all other lanterns, and puts Nekron in white chains. He pulls out the exposed heart of Nekron, and with a scream of agony, Nekron is gone leaving his scythe. In his place, a shirtless man with a black lantern emblem on his chest appears. He picks up the scythe, and Nekron once again rises, saying that you can't kill death. He digs is hand into Sinestro, trying to remove the white entity.

Hal and the gang come in for back-up, and Ganthet notes that Sinestro's ego will not allow him to control the white light. Hal begins to volunteer, but Ganthet say that no one can control it. They contemplate what can kill Nekron, when Lex Luthor demands more rings saying he can save the world. Larfleeze attacks Luthor, but all are then attacked telepathically by the Martian Manhunter and the rest of the undead Justice League.

A brawl erupts between the Lanterns, and the dead League who have a large numbers advantage. Indigo-1 calls for back up, and an influx of Lanterns from all different corps appears, along with other unaffected superheroes. Every Lantern then directs their attention the Nekron, drying to take out the source. Deadman takes over Guy Gardner, and tells Hal that in order for Nekron to be defeated, his Earthly tether needs to become living.

But Nekron is still wielding immense amounts of power, and begins to speak of the pointlessness of life, calling it an accident. Barry speeds to the forefront and say it best: "Life doesn't give us purpose. We give life purpose."

Hal zooms directly into the white light, with the result being the White Lantern Corps. It consists of: Superman, Conner, Hal, Wonder Woman, Donna Troy, Green Arrow, Animal Man, Barry, Bart, and Ice.

They all throw their beams toward the Black Hand, proclaiming that they choose to live, and now choose life for him too. The White Entity appears, and puts it hand around William Hand, telling him to live. The newly resurrected Hand coughs up a white rings from his mouth. This white ring flies around the White Lantern Corps, taking their power. It pierces through Nekron, and heads right to the Black Battery, resurrecting the Anti-Monitor.

While the Anti-Monitor and Nekron trade jabs, William Hand begins to cough up more rings. These rings take off, destroying Nekron, while proclaiming "Let There Be Light!"

Theses rings also begin to resurrect Black Lanterns, and a beautiful two page spread shows us theses survivors. They are: Maxwell Lord, Eobard Thawne, Hank Hall, Jade, a young Digger Harkness, Ronnie Raymond, The Martian Manhunter, Arthur Curry, Carter Hall, Kendra Saunders, Boston Brand, and finally Osiris.

At the sight of Aquaman, Mera's rage begins to dwindle, and she goes into cardiac arrest since the ring is no longer keeping her alive. Luckily, Carol, and Saint Walker are able to use their powers to save her, and her and Aquaman share a moment.

The Hawks are shown next, and Kendra is listing off the memories now restored to her. Carter is most surprised though, when Hawk Woman removes her cowl to reveal Shiera, and not Kendra,

Next the Martian Manhunter who just smiles. Firestorm then pleads for help, grabs his head, and reverts to reveal Jason, and Ronnie now making up Firestorm.

An angry Hank Hall is next, demanding an explanation.

Max, who appeared next to Guy, is quickly wrapped into a green claw. His nose begins to bleed, and he talks Guy into letting him out, before he disappears.

Jade is shown next, and kisses Kyle Rayner, Next is a startled Osiris who says he just wants to go home.

Barry then rushes a Thawne, while Digger prepares a boomerang. Thawne slips away, and Digger is met with Barry's fist. Barry stops, and wonder where Ralph and Sue are.

Now it's Deadman's turn, who realizes that he is visible, and alive. He is now just Boston Brand.

Larfleeze now steals the show, throwing an unconscious Luthor to the feet of the other Lanterns. He demands the Gaurdian he was promised, and Sayd steps forward. Ganthet immediately challenges it, but Sayd is unconcerned, noting that there are more important things to worry about, such as the disappearance of the Anti-Monitor and William Hand. Saint Walker notices that all the Indigo Tribe is missing as well.

We cut to the planet of the Indigo Tribe, where they lead a chained Black Hand in a catatonic state.

The final pages are Hal and Barry back in Gotham, in the cemetery in which the story started. Barry wonders why everyone wasn't resurrected, and Hal says that "Dead id Dead from here on out," but notes that Bruce Wayne must still be alive since the Black Lantern version didn't recognize them. Barry's final question is about the White Light and it's whereabouts, and Hal responds saying that he can feel it pulling them away from the Blackest Night.

The last page is a crater in the middle of a road, white a white power battery in the center.

This issue was a great ending to the Blackest Night saga, which was excellent from start to finish. Johns gave us a ending, while bringing back our favorite characters for the future. Ivan Reis was also phenomenal the whole series, and can't wait to find out what he's doing next. But as far as future story lines, it looks like the Brightest Day is upon us.

Comic Book Review: Green Lantern #52

Wow, what an issue. So last month, in Blackest Night #7, we became aware of a secret of the Guardians: Life was born on Earth, leaving them without the authority, or jurisdiction, to guard the universe. Nekron released the white entity, to kill it, ending life, and in his mind, bringing peace to the universe. In a surprise ending, Sinestro took the power of the white light and declared himself "the greatest lantern of them all."

So this issue begins with John Stewart, Kilowog, and other lanterns, fighting the legion of Black Lanterns above coast city. John realizes that something is attracting all the Black Lanterns to Earth, and relays to Hal that all, even the undead planet of Xanshi, are headed to Coast City.

Sinestro begins to talk about his destiny, and the power he now possesses, connecting him to all living organisms. He begins to converse with the white entity, getting visions of the birth of life, the creation of Earth, and the first created organisms. He sees the first organisms who ever willed itself to move, and harnessing the emerald light, it becomes the green entity, Ion.

He flashes forward thousands of years, where some organisms have evolved with the ability to fly. A bug like creature is fleeing for survival, and being the first to emit fear, becomes to entity Parallax. The next panel shows a paradise, with the birth of love being shown. Next we're shown the original serpent in a tree, exhibiting great greed and avarice, it becomes the guardian of orange light. Next, rage is born, from the rock Cain used to slay Abel. A great deluge is shown next, and threw prayer, hope is born. Lastly, a beautiful indigo nebula, being the original compassion. A beautiful two page spread is next, showing Sinestro, with all seven light entities, with the words: "we live."

Nekron then takes his scythe, and slicing Sinestro in half, exclaims, "You Die!" He attempts to remove the white entity from Sinestro, still trying to end all of life. Hal calls to Walker for help with Nekron, and then realizes that the incoming Xanshi is throwing Earth out of axis. He ask John to take Xanshis out, but not before a beam thrown from the dead planet, strikes a body of water on Earth. The beam, results in a tsunami, that begins to engulf Coast City. Hal is able to contain the massive wave, while also being attacked by a group of Black Lanterns. He pleads once more with John, to take Xanshi out.

John, Fatality, and others begin to make their way through Xanshi, and are soon met by Katma Tui. John and Fatality, sever the connection, and John pledges to move on from the tragedy of losing his wife and Xanshi, not letting his guilt consume him anymore.

Back on Earth, Indigo 1 and Saint Walker are attempting to heal Sinestro's wounds, but cannot, seeing as to how their rings can't identify any wounds. The Black Hand tells Hal that he cannot delay death any longer, and all light will now burn out.

Back to Xanshi, and the lantern brigade have now made their way to the center of the planet, where they see the core of thousands of black rings, that are animating the planet. The lanterns combine their power once again, severing the connection to the planet. They make their colorful exit from the planet, and into space.

On Earth, black lanterns begin to die everywhere, and even Nekron is affected by the loss of Xanshi. John Stewart and co, are now back and Earth, and Fatality comments that the remains of Xanshi are falling to Earth. So they create a multi-color barrier, block the black matter from falling to Coast City.

The last page is Sinestro, now fully healed, with the White Entity behind him, saying he is now the true guardian of the universe. A surprises Hal remarks that the White Light is still alive.

The issue was a great action packed ride, setting the stage for the finale, of next week's, Blackest Night #8. I can't wait to see the ending.